Southeast Missouri (0-1) at Butler (1-0)

Game Information
Date: Friday, November 10, 2023
Tip-Off: 7:30 p.m., CT
Location: Indianapolis, Ind.
Facility: Hinkle Fieldhouse (9,100)
Series: First Meeting
Head Coaches: Brad Korn (44-52 Overall; 44-52 at SEMO; 27-28 OVC). Thad Matta (454-172 Overall; 39-26 at Butler; 6-14 BIG EAST).

Follow the Redhawks
Radio: Real Rock 99.3 FM (Erik Sean)
TV: FS2 (Bob Brainerd, Dickey Simpkins)
Live Stats: ButlerSports.com
Twitter: @SEMOMBB
Game Notes: Southeast Missouri (PDF)

Redhawks Travel to Butler 
Southeast Missouri (0-1) travels to BIG EAST member Butler (1-0) Friday. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m., CT in a nationally-televised game on FS2 from Hinkle Fieldhouse.

Follow the Redhawks
Fans can watch Friday's game on FS2 with Bob Brainerd and Dickey Simpkins calling the action. Simpkins was a three-time NBA Champion with the Chicago Bulls from 1996-98. Listen live on the radio at Real Rock 99.3 FM. Erik Sean will be on the call. Live stats are available at ButlerSports.com. Updates will be provided on X (formerly Twitter) @SEMOMBB.

Series History
Southeast Missouri meets Butler for the first time in its program history. The Bulldogs are the fourth team out of the BIG EAST that SEMO faces. The Redhawks are 0-4 all-time against BIG EAST foes with a 0-2 record vs. DePaul, a 0-1 mark vs. Creighton and a 0-1 record vs. Xavier. SEMO last played a BIG EAST team in 2016-17 at DePaul on Dec. 19, 2016.

Historic Hinkle Fieldhouse
Southeast Missouri will get to experience Hinkle Fieldhouse for the first time Friday. Hinkle Fieldhouse is the sixth-oldest college basketball arena still in use. It was completed in 1928 and, at the time, was the largest basketball arena in the United States until 1950. The final scene of the championship game in the movie Hoosiers (1986) was filmed at Hinkle Fieldhouse.

Redhawks Drop Season-Opener at Grand Canyon
The Redhawks opened their 2023-24 season with an 88-67 loss at reigning Western Athletic Conference Tournament Champion Grand Canyon (Nov. 6). Adam Larson led Southeast Missouri with 13 points off the bench and Josh Earley followed with 10 as the Redhawks other double-digit scorer. SEMO outscored the Lopes, 37-34, in the second half.

Season-Openers
With its loss to Grand Canyon (Nov. 6), Southeast Missouri dropped to 19-20 in season-opening games during its NCAA Division I era. Brad Korn is 3-1 in season-openers as the Redhawks head coach. All four of those matchups were on the road.

Korn Returns to Hinkle Fieldhouse 
Brad Korn goes back to Hinkle Fieldhouse for the first time in 17 years. Korn was last at the facility as an assistant coach at Southern Illinois during the 2006-07 campaign. That year, SIU beat Butler, 68-64, on Feb. 17. The Salukis won the Missouri Valley Conference title and advanced to the Sweet Sixteen where they fell to Kansas (61-58) in San Jose, California that season.

Starting Debuts
Four of five players made their starting debuts for Southeast Missouri at Grand Canyon (Nov. 6). Guards Rob Martin, TJ Biel and Braxton Stacker, and forward Josh Earley started for the first time as Redhawks. Earley, who played in 31 games off the bench a year ago, scored 10 points against the Lopes.

Welcome to Division I Basketball
Four players, including TJ Biel, David Idada, BJ Ward and Marqueas Bell played in their first NCAA Division I basketball game at Grand Canyon (Nov. 6). Biel spent the last two years at the junior college level and Idada sat out the 2022-23 season due to NCAA regulations. Meanwhile, Ward and Bell are true freshmen on this year's roster. Biel had eight points and four rebounds, and Ward dished out a game-high five assists and had no turnovers against the Lopes.

Larson and Earley Become First to Reach Double Figures
Adam Larson became the first Southeast Missouri player to get double figures in the scoring column in 2023-24. Larson came off the bench and led SEMO with 13 points at Grand Canyon (Nov. 6). He shot 4-of-6 from the field and knocked down three 3-pointers in 18 minutes. Larson also grabbed five rebounds. It was the sixth double-digit game of his career. Josh Earley followed with 10 points in his first career SEMO start.

Year Four for Korn
Brad Korn is in his fourth year as Southeast Missouri's head coach. Korn led SEMO to its first Ohio Valley Conference Tournament title and NCAA Tournament appearance in over two decades during the 2022-23 season. SEMO became the first #5 seed to ever win the OVC Tournament winning four games in four days along the way. Korn is 44-52 overall and 27-28 in the OVC as the Redhawks head coach.

Branson Out
Southeast Missouri will be without starting guard Dylan Branson for multiple weeks early this season. Branson is currently out with a foot injury. He will not play at Butler Friday.

About the Bulldogs
Butler tipped off the 2023-24 season with a commanding 94-55 home win over Eastern Michigan (Nov. 6). The Bulldogs are at home for their first three games of the year. Butler was picked 10th in the 11-team BIG EAST Preseason Poll. Thad Matta is in his second year during his second tour of duty as the Bulldogs' head coach. His 2023-24 roster includes 10 newcomers with five transfers that averaged double figures last season for their previous teams. Jahmyl Telfort led six players in double figures with 18 points against EMU Monday.

Back-to-Back Road Games
Southeast Missouri is on the road for its first two games of the 2023-24 season. SEMO opened the year at Grand Canyon (Nov. 6) and will head to Butler (Nov. 10). After this week, the Redhawks return to Cape Girardeau to face Evansville in their home-opener on Nov. 15.